UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA     AGRICULTURAL   EXPERIMENT  STATION 

BENJ.    IDE    WHEELER,    President 
THOMAS    FORSYTH    HUNT,   Dean  an d  Director 
H.    E.   VAN    NORMAN,    Vice-Dir ector    and    Dean 
University  Farm  School 


COLLEGE   OF  AGRICULTURE 
BERKELEY 


CIRCULAR  No.  192 

February,  1918 


COTTON  IN  THE  SAN  JOAQUIN  VALLEY 

By  JOHN  W.  GILMOEE 


For  the  past  three  3rears  cotton  has  been  grown  experimentally  at 
Kearney  Ranch,  Fresno  County,  California.  It  has  been  grown 
before  in  other  parts  of  the  Great  Valley  but  this  time  we  have  been 
giving  special  attention  to  Egyptian  cotton. 

The  yields  during  these  years  are  as  follows : 

Seed  Cotton  Lint  Cotton 

Pounds  per  acre  Pounds  per  acre 

Egyptian  Durango  Egyptian  Durango 

1915 2420  750    (31%) 

1916 1563        2405  440  (28%)        733  (30.5%) 

1917 1615        2010  516  (32%)        643  (32%) 

The  soil  upon  which  this  cotton  was  grown  was  a  heavy  sandy  loam, 
not  the  best  soil  for  cotton.  It  is  rather  difficult  to  prepare  well 
for  this  crop,  nevertheless  the  stand  was  good.  The  crop  of  1917 
was  seeded,  the  Egyptian  on  May  9  and  the  Durango  on  May  12. 
Another  plot  of  Egyptian  seeded  on  May  14  lacked  many  days 
reaching  maturity  when  caught  by  the  frost.  The  crop  of  1916 
was  seeded,  the  Egyptian  on  April  9  and  the  Durango  on  April  18. 

The  relative  coolness  and  dryness  of  the  early  part  of  the  season 
of  1917  retarded  the  development  of  this  crop  considerably.  This 
is  especially  true  of  the  crop  planted  May  14,  for  which  more  than 
six  months  of  growing  weather  was  not  sufficient.  The  latter  part 
of  the  season  was,  however,  very  favorable  to  cotton  because  of  the 
lateness  of  the  rains  and  relatively  high  temperature  in  October  and 
November.  These  factors  brought  about  conditions  for  checking  the 
growth  of  the  plants  and  for  opening  the  bolls. 

The  temperature  at  the  close  of  the  season  and  the  lateness  of 
frosts  are  not,  however,  the  most  important  factors  in  the  yield  and 
harvesting  of  the  crop.  The  prevalence  of  early  fall  rains  have  a 
more  important  bearing  at  this  time.  Egyptian  cotton  is  easily 
knocked  from  the  bolls  and  early  fall  rains  damage  the  crop  greatly. 
Those  who  contemplate  planting  the  crop  in  the  middle  and  lower 
Sacramento  Valley  must  take  note  of  this.      When  early  rains  are 


combined  with  warm  weather  the  cotton  continues  to  grow  and  the 
bolls  do  not  open  readily. 

The  water  supply  for  the  cotton  in  question  was  derived  from  a 
high  water  table.  In  June  and  July  this  free  water  comes  within 
about  twenty  inches  of  the  surface,  but  it  is  late  in  rising  in  the 
spring.  Hence  the  crop  did  not  get  a  vigorous  start  and  did  not 
reach  advanced  growth  until  early  in  the  summer.  It  is  considered, 
therefore,  that  both  in  respect  to  soil  and  moisture  our  crop  did  not 
have  reasonably  good  conditions  for  growth  and  development,  yet  the 
crop  was  both  of  good  quality  and  quantity.  Where  land  is  fertile, 
water  and  labor  are  available,  and  good  culture  methods  are  given,  it 
would  seem  that  the  outlook  for  profit  in  the  production  of  this  crop 
is  bright. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  all  localities  in  the  valley 
would  produce  cotton  successfully.  For  not  only  is  further  experi- 
mental work  necessary,  especially  related  to  time  and  method  of  plant- 
ing, but  a  period  of  education  must  be  provided  for  relating  to  the 
habits  and  growth  of  the  plant  and  its  culture.  Even  though  farmers 
may  be  familiar  with  the  crop  grown  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  yet 
much  must  be  learned  regarding  irrigation  and  influence  of  season 
on  the  development  of  the  crop  in  California. 

It  is  both  the  desire  and  the  object  of  the  experiment  station  at 
Kearney  Ranch  to  direct  the  way  to  this  better  understanding  of 
the  crop  and  its  culture.  It  is  also  the  object  of  the  experiment 
station  to  serve  as  a  center  for  the  dissemination  of  good  seed.  This 
year  good  seed  sufficient  to  plant  about  seventy-five  acres  will  be 
produced  and  already  negotiations  are  under  way  to  secure  a  gin  so 
that  this  seed  may  be  available  for  planting  next  spring.  Mr.  Fris- 
selle,  manager  of  Kearney  Ranch,  will  plant  about  eighty  acres,  and 
from  this  planting  good  seed  will  be  available  for  all  members  of  the 
Farm  Bureau  who  may  want  to  engage  in  this  industry. 

From  experiments  quoted  above  it  might  seem  that  there  is  little 
choice  between  the  long  staple  and  the  short  staple  cottons.  That 
there  is  a  choice,  however,  is  emphasized  when  it  is  remembered  that 
the  long  staple  yields  better  than  the  short  staple  of  the  cotton  belt 
and  brings  more  than  double  the  price  in  the  market.  Recent  quota- 
tions of  the  former  have  been  from  60  to  80  cents  per  pound,  while 
the  latter  brings  from  24  to  27  cents.  Moreover,  the  demands  for 
the  long  staple  type  of  cotton  is  increasing  rapidly  owing  to  the 
increase  in  tire  manufacture  and  to  the  demands  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment for  airplane  and  balloon  fabrics. 


Again  by  growing  Egyptian  cotton  our  farmers  do  not  compete 
with  the  product  of  the  cotton  states.  In  those  states  owing  to  seasonal, 
soil  and  labor  conditions  Egyptian  is  not  extensively  grown.  The  rav- 
ages of  the  boll  weevil  require  the  production  of  short  season  varieties. 
Moreover,  the  season  in  those  states  otherwise  adapted  to  Egyptian 
cotton  is  too  short.  The  only  established  regions  for  the  production 
of  this  type  of  cotton  are  the  Salt  River  Valley  of  Arizona  and  south- 
ern California  including  Imperial,  Palo  Verde  and  Coachella  Valleys. 
From  the  present  outlook  it  does  not  seem  possible  for  these  regions 
to  fully  supply  the  demands  for  this  staple.  The  results  of  the 
experiments  cited  above  would  indicate  that  many  parts  of  the 
San  Joauqin  Valley  are  adapted  to  Eg3Tptian  cotton  and  that  this 
valley  might  be  looked  upon  as  a  source  of  future  supply.  It  is  also 
believed  that  the  conditions  of  climate,  soil  and  water  supply  of  Cali- 
fornia are  such  as  to  cause  less  danger  of  fluctuations  in  yield  and 
quality  of  fiber  and  also  to  give  the  fiber  the  distinctive  excellence 
that  is  required  of  this  type  of  cotton. 

There  are  certain  economic  considerations,  however,  that  bear 
upon  the  production  of  this  crop  which  ought  to  be  mentioned.  Among 
the  most  important  of  these  are  the  desirability  of  adopting  one  type 
of  cotton  and  continuing  in  the  cultivation  of  that  type,  and  grow- 
ing the  crop  as  a  home  and  community  enterprise  rather  than  as  a 
single  crop  enterprise  and  on  a  large  scale. 

If  cotton  is  to  be  grown  as  a  regular  crop  in  the  valley  it  is 
important  to  understand  at  the  outset  the  necessity  of  adopting  the 
variety  best  suited  to  the  conditions  of  climate,  soil,  and  market 
and  grow  that  variety  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others.  A  detrimental 
influence  working  in  all  cotton  areas  is  the  diversity  of  varieties 
produced.  Cotton  cross-pollinates  readily.  Hence  when  different 
varieties  are  grown  in  the  same  community  crossing  is  effected  both 
by  the  wind  and  insects  and  this  causes  deterioration  both  in  the 
quality  and  yield  of  each  variety.  On  the  other  hand  cotton  responds 
readily  to  efforts  of  improvement  by  selection  and  good  culture 
methods.  In  fact,  in  order  to  keep  a  variet}7  or  strain  up  to  highest 
qualities  of  lint  and  yield  it  is  necessary  to  practice  selection  and  to 
follow  the  best  culture  methods.  The  truth  of  these  statements  is 
abundantly  borne  out  by  conditions  now  existing  in  Imperial  Valley 
where  many  varieties  of  cotton  have  been  grown  so  close  together 
that  at  the  present  time  there  is  no  variety  of  cotton  possessing 
superior  quality  or  yield.  Under  no  circumstances  whatever  should 
short  staple  cotton  be  planted  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley. 


The  San  Joaquin  Valley  has  the  opportunity  of  producing  a 
superior  strain  of  cotton  for  which  there  is  now  a  good  market  and 
for  which  there  is  every  indication  that  a  good  market  will  continue. 
This  is  further  emphasized  since  cotton  responds  to  selection  and 
good  culture.  With  the  seed  supply  cut  off  from  Egypt  and  Mexico 
because  of  insect  enemies,  growers  have  the  opportunity  of  producing 
a  strain  of  seed  especially  adapted  to  our  valley  conditions.  It  would 
be  well  if  this  valley  might  be  known  as  the  location  where  the  best 
Egyptian  cotton  in  the  world  can  be  produced  in  quantities  sufficient 
to  attract  buyers  and  to  bring  a  reasonable  profit  to  the  tiller  of 
the  soil. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood  by  what  has  been  said  that  other  varieties 
of  cotton  will  not  do  well.  Our  experiments  show  that  they  will, 
but  what  is  the  use  of  growing  a  variety  that  does  not  yield  materially 
more  and  for  which  a  much  less  price  is  obtained?  It  is  true  that 
Egyptian  cotton  is  more  difficult  to  pick  than  upland  cotton,  the 
process  costing  fully  twice  as  much ;  but  this  extra  cost  is  not  sufficient 
to  cover  the  margin  of  price  in  favor  of  Egyptian  cotton,  at  least 
according  to  the  present  outlook.  Since  Egyptian  cotton  is  ginned  by 
what  is  known  as  the  roller  gin  the  process  is  slower,  hence  the  cost  of 
ginning  of  this  staple  is  greater  than  is  the  cost  of  growing  upland 
staples  which  are  ginned  more  rapidly  by  the  saw  gin. 

In  the  production  of  cotton  it  is  very  desirable  that  it  shall  be 
an  interest  of  the  community.  This  is  emphasized  because  of  the 
fact  that  the  ginning  of  the  lint  can  be  best  accomplished  by  the  com- 
munity. It  is  true  that  small  gins  can  be  erected  on  farms  of  forty 
acres  or  more,  but  the  larger  gins  with  power  appliances  that  can 
handle  the  cotton  of  a  community  are  more  economical  in  their 
operation.  Then,  too,  the  utilization  of  the  seed  for  oil  and  meal 
manufacture  is  an  important  enterprise  for  the  interest  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Considering  all  things  in  the  interest  of  this  crop  and  the  agricul- 
ture of  the  valley  it  would  seem  that  the  best  line  of  procedure  for 
the  3'ears  to  come  consists  in  making  cotton  a  part  of  the  acreage  of 
the  home  farm.  It  would  seem  advisable  that  each  family  farm 
possess  from  three  to  fifteen  acres  of  this  crop  according  to  the  number 
of  children  or  other  available  labor  constantly  employed.  This  point 
of  view  is  especially  important  in  consideration  of  the  maintenance 
of  crop  producing  power  of  the  soil  and  the  problems  of  labor.  One 
of  the  significant  features  of  California  Agriculture  is  the  readiness 
with  which  cultivated  lands  decline  in  productivity  when  not  prop- 


erly  handled,  especially  those  not  supplied  with  water  for  irrigation. 
The  truth  of  this  statement  is  indicated  by  the  rapid  decrease  of  our 
grain  acreage  and  yields  and  the  shifting  of  agricultural  activities. 
This  condition  may  be  met  and  remedied  by  two  lines  of  procedure, 
namely  by  the  diversification  and  rotation  of  crops  with  the  stimulus 
of  chemical  fertilizers  and  lime  when  necessary,  and  by  the  keeping 
of  a  well  balanced  number  of  livestock  upon  the  land. 

I  am  advocating  the  production  of  cotton  therefore  primarily 
because  it  enters  into  this  scheme  of  better  and  permanent  agriculture, 
and  it  is  withal  a  profitable  crop.  The  deep  rooting  nature  of  the 
plant  requiring  good  preparation  of  the  land,  its  water  requirements, 
necessitating  the  judicious  use  of  water  and  its  conservation  by  cul- 
ture methods  render  this  crop  a  valuable  one  in  maintaining  fertility 
of  the  soil,  especially  if  the  meal  from  the  seed  were  fed  to  livestock 
kept  in  the  community  and  provided  also  that  the  stalks  be  not  burned 
but  disked  and  returned  to  the  soil.  The  composition  of  the  crop  is 
approximately  as  follows,  in  pounds  per  acre : 

Phosphoric 
Nitrogen  Acid  Potash  Total 

Lint,  500  lbs 1.69  .49  2.23  4.41 

Plant,  1500  lbs 33.44  13.08  24.82  71.34 

Seed,  1076  lbs 33.96  13.67  12.58  60.21 

Total  69.09  27.24  39.63  135.96 

Cotton  enters  well  into  several  rotation  schemes.  It  follows  well 
after  beans  and  is  especially  fitted  to  precede  grain  because  of  its 
requirements  of  well  prepared  soil  and  good  culture.  Except  on 
poor  lands  it  may  not  follow  alfalfa  because  the  abundance  of  nitro- 
gen tends  to  stimulate  vegetative  growth  under  irrigation.  This 
reduces  yield  of  lint  and  prolongs  the  growing  season. 

The  growing  of  cotton  upon  home  farms  and  in  such  areas  as  can 
be  taken  care  of  by  the  family  and  such  hired  labor  as  is  regularly 
employed  is  a  recommendation  in  accordance  with  the  economic  pro- 
duction of  this  crop.  In  this  scheme  there  is  an  almost  certain  family 
income  and  the  crop  permits  of  a  diversification  that  is  advantageous, 
and  all  this  without  altering  materially  the  labor  situation.  It  should 
be  said  in  this  connection  also  that  Egyptian  cotton  is  more  sure  to 
bring  some  returns  under  our  valley  conditions  than  almost  any  other 
crop.  To  be  sure  it  is  not  a  "fool-proof"  crop;  knowledge  of  its 
habits  and  growing  needs  and  attention  to  them  is  important,  but  this 
type  of  cotton  is  hardy  and  will  withstand  unfavorable  conditions 
to  a  marked  degree  during  the  growing  season. 


What  I  have  said  must  not  be  taken  as  an  argument  against  the 
growing  of  cotton  in  large  areas  and  by  those  who  devote  their  time 
and  attention  to  nothing  else.  Indeed,  this  procedure  is  to  be  en- 
couraged especially  at  this  time  when  the  country  is  in  need  of  the 
staple  and  the  prices  are  good.  But  over  a  period  of  years  the  large 
integral  enterprise  is  constantly  facing  labor  problems  and  it  usually 
results  in  a  continuous  cropping  which  is  not  in  the  interests  of  per- 
manent agriculture  with  homes  upon  the  land.  It  should  be  stated, 
however,  that  if  the  cotton  crop  is  planted  timely  and  properly  cared 
for  the  peak  loads  of  labor  do  not  conflict  materially  with  those  of 
any  other  crop.  Beet  thinning  in  the  spring  and  beet  and  raisin 
harvesting  in  the  fall  are  the  principal  periods  when  labor  may  be 
in  great  demand,  but  it  is  believed  to  be  possible  to  handle  these  crops 
in  such  a  way  that  no  serious  conflict  may  occur  with  the  labor  de- 
mands of  cotton. 

Cotton  production  in  California  is  not  a  new  industry.  The  crop 
began  to  attract  attention  in  1856  when  the  California  State  Agricul- 
tural Society  offered  a  large  prize  for  the  best  acre  of  cotton.  In  1862 
an  aggregate  of  $6500  was  offered  in  premiums  for  cotton  in  lots  of 
100  bales.  The  prize  was  awarded  in  1865  when  a  farmer  in  Los 
Angeles  raised  108  acres.  In  1869,  34  bales  of  cotton  were  produced 
in  San  Diego  County  and  in  1873  between  1500  and  2000  acres  were 
grown  in  Merced  County,  and  more  than  22,000  pounds  were  shipped 
to  Liverpool. 

From  time  to  time  cotton  has  been  produced  successfully  in  the 
following  counties:  Shasta,  Butte,  Colusa,  Lake,  Sutter,  Yolo,  Sacra- 
mento, Merced,  Fresno,  Kings,  Tulare,  Kern,  Los  Angeles,  San  Ber- 
nardino, Riverside,  San  Diego,  and  Imperial.  Other  counties  in  which 
the  crop  may  do  well  as  Tehama,  Glenn,  Sonoma,  Napa,  Solano, 
Contra  Costa,  San  Joaquin,  Alameda,  Santa  Clara,  Stanislaus, 
Madera,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Ventura,  and  Orange. 

Cotton  may  be  grown  on  a  wide  range  of  soils.  Being  a  tap-rooted 
plant  it  derives  its  moisture  and  food  from  a  considerable  depth  of 
soil,  consequently  preparation  of  the  land  is  of  greater  importance 
than  type  of  soil  on  ordinary  agricultural  soils.  Soils  bearing  more 
than  one-half  of  one  per  cent  of  total  alkali  salts  in  the  surface  foot 
should  be  avoided  or  tried  out  experimentally  before  planting  on  a 
commercial  scale.  The  best  soils  are  the  silt  and  sandy  loams  without 
hard  pan.  The  light  sandy  soils  do  not  have  a  constant  moisture 
holding  capacity  and  the  heavy  clays  and  adobes  have  poor  penetra- 


tion  for  moisture,  consequently  success  on  these  extreme  types  may 
not  be  great. 

Thorough  preparation  is  a  very  essential  factor  related  to  cotton 
production.  Fallowed  lands  are  best,  but  the  land  may  be  plowed 
in  the  fall  as  soon  as  moisture  conditions  are  right,  and  left  rough 
during  the  winter.  It  should  be  worked  to  a  fine  tilth  and  an  even 
surface  in  the  spring,  going  over  it  several  times,  first  with  disk  and 
afterwards  with  spring  and  spike  tooth  harrows. 

On  the  heavier  soils  it  seems  advantageous  to  throw  the  land  into 
ridges  about  three  and  one-half  feet  apart  before  planting.  This  oper- 
ation permits  of  greater  facility  in  irrigation  and  also  permits  of 
retaining  the  water  on  the  land  longer  than  would  be  possible  in  case 
of  flooding.  On  subirrigated  lands  and  those  of  light  texture  level 
planting  is  best. 

It  is  very  important  that  a  good  stand  of  cotton  be  obtained.  On 
well  prepared  land  where  moisture  conditions  are  optimum  fifteen 
pounds  of  seed  per  acre  are  sufficient  but  where  physical  conditions  of 
soil  and  moisture  are  not  as  good  as  could  be  expected  twenty  pounds 
would  be  better.  As  soon  as  the  plants  are  all  up  so  that  the  rows 
can  be  readily  followed  the  plants  should  be  thinned  to  twelve  inches 
apart  in  the  row.  Cultivation  should  continue  throughout  the  grow- 
ing season  as  conservation  of  moisture,  destruction  of  weeds  and  the 
physical  condition  of  the  soil  require. 

The  water  requirements  of  cotton  are  not  excessive  but  it  is  im- 
portant that  the  water  supply  be  sufficient  and  constant.  On  light 
and  porous  soil  the  amount  required  to  produce  the  crop  will  range 
from  twenty-four  to  thirty-two  inches.  On  more  retentive  soils  a 
lesser  amount  will  be  required  according  to  the  preparation  of  the 
land  and  the  seasonal  rainfall. 

Land  in  which  cotton  is  planted  should  be  in  optimum  moisture 
content  at  the  time  of  planting.  If  such  is  the  case  no  further  water- 
ing will  be  required  or  should  be  given  during  the  following  five  or 
six  weeks.  If  water  is  applied  too  freely  in  the  earlier  stages  the 
plant  will  start  into  vegetative  growth  and  will  not  set  squares 
abundant^.  After  the  first  six  or  eight  weeks  water  should  be  ap- 
plied often  enough  to  keep  the  plant  in  good  vigor.  It  is  especially 
important  that  the  moisture  content  of  the  soil  be  kept  uniform 
throughout  the  zone  in  which  the  plant  feeds,  for  if  the  plant  has  to 
meet  a  deficiency  of  moisture  and  alternately  an  abundance  it  may 
fail  to  form  squares  or  drop  those  it  has  already  set.  If  the  leaves 
of  cotton  appear  wilted  in  the  morning  it  is  a  good  sign  that  water  is 


8 

wanted.  The  later  part  of  June  and  July  are  the  critical  periods, 
after  which  water  should  be  withheld  or  used  sparingly.  In  this 
way  the  plants  will  cease  growth  and  the  bolls  will  ripen  and  open 
normally.  In  sections  where  fall  rains  are  prevalent  the  plant  may 
continue  to  grow  until  frost  and  a  nonuniform  crop  result. 

No  machine  has  been  produced  to  pick  cotton  successfully,  hence 
hand  picking  must  be  depended  upon.  Usually  three  pickings  are 
necessary  to  harvest  the  entire  crop,  the  first  occurring  in  the  latter 
part  of  September  or  early  October.  While  a  few  days  delay  may  be 
given  yet  the  crop  should  be  picked  as  promptly  as  possible  for  the 
cotton  may  be  knocked  from  the  bolls  by  wind  and  become  contam- 
inated by  trash  or  dirt. 

The  cost  of  raising  cotton  varies  widely,  especially  while  the  in- 
dustry is  new  and  adequate  information  has  not  been  accumulated 
by  experience.  The  cost  of  preparing  the  land,  seed,  water  and  labor 
to  bring  the  crop  to  maturity  will  cost  between  eighteen  and  twenty- 
five  dollars.  The  cost  of  picking  will  depend  upon  the  yield  and 
quality  of  plant  growth.  Egyptian  cotton  is  somewhat  more  difficult 
to  pick  and  the  work  goes  more  slowly  than  upland  cotton.  The  first 
picking  of  Egyptian  cotton  will,  at  the  present  prices  of  labor,  cost 
about  four  cents  per  pound.  The  second  picking  should  cost  less 
and  the  third  picking  will  often  be  as  high  as  five  cents.  The  cost 
of  picking  the  crop  will  average  about  four  and  a  half  cents  per  pound 
under  present  conditions. 

In  order  to  make  cotton  a  permanent  crop  of  value  to  the  agri- 
cultural welfare  of  California  a  constructive  policy  should  be  adopted 
embodying  the  economic  features  of  labor,  community  organization 
and  education  and  the  cultural  features  embodying  land  preparation, 
planting,  cultivating,  irrigating,  harvesting,  and  crop  improvement. 
The  Division  of  Agronomy  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  desires  to 
be  of  any  service  possible  in  this  programme. 


